 Telecom and data center infrastructure industry. Hey guys, welcome, welcome to our podcast series, Data Movers. I'm your host, Jamie Scotto-Cutia, CEO and founder of JSA. And I'm joined with my amazing co-host, Mr. Evan Kirstel, the top B2B social influencer in our space. Hey Evan, welcome, welcome. Hey, thanks so much. Hey everyone, welcome to Data Movers where we sit down with the movers and shakers in today's telco and data center world supporting all of these crazy new network requirements. Speaking of which, Jamie, let's talk AI because there isn't enough hype and discussion around AI yet out there in the media. But to take it personal, do you use any of the AI tools? Do you use chat GPT or using any of these frameworks or apps that are AI based? Absolutely, we use technology whenever we can to be a foundational research level. We always add our human creativity and touch and we bring our expertise to the industry, all that. You can't strip away. But yeah, for me, I have 10 ideas of how I can help support a client. I go to chat GPT and I'm like, all right, what else you got? I have this, what else you got? It's always kind of cool to know that you can use it as an additional tool, not as a total replacement of humanity, I would say though. I totally disagree. I think we're gonna replace those humans. How many do you have? How many would you say? I have 50 team members right now. 50 amazing team members at JSA. I have zero and I'm putting out at least 100x more content than I've ever done before. And GPT-4, you talk about creativity and humor and it is way more interesting than I am. It can be way more fun if you're into the prompt engineering and the experimentation. So I feel like I have a team of 50. I'm just loving it. I have a team of 200. Okay, so we're about even now, but it's not a race, but it is a race to leverage, to harness all of these tools and guess what's powering all of these applications? It's cloud and data center technology. You know what? I expect. It's our space, it's our people and that brings us to the incredible person, our incredible guest that we have here today. Let's go ahead and just dig right in and bring in Todd Cushing, President of 1623, Farnam. Hey Todd. Welcome, appreciate you. Let me be part of the show today. Oh, we love it. And thanks, thanks for joining us. You were one of our early guests. So a couple of years later, you've been busy and for those who don't know much about 1623 Farnam, let's give them a brief introduction. For me, it's like the old adage in real estate, which I guess applies to data center, location, location, location. Right? So who and what is 1623? What do you do for customers? So it is a data center and it's a 76,000 foot data center. It's in downtown Omaha. It's an ecosystem beyond that. So what it is is it's got to have good power and it's got state of the art updated lighting, green, things that built into the M&E systems for the facility. But it's really an ecosystem that is about interconnection, networking, peering, really things that make the processing of data happen from East Coast to West Coast. So that's really what we are, is we're an ecosystem. And you know what? You are also a triple threat. I mean, not to like summon JLo or anything here. But when we talk triple threat in our industry, we're talking cloud, collocation and connectivity. You guys certainly have the secret sauce there as a cloud hub and connectivity epicenter in addition to a robust data center, like you just said. How is your facility set apart from the rest? You know, from a, for us, it's the people. The team, we've got customers call White Glove. So it's the team, but it's also the facility and it's what we've built as a brand. It's the people know to come here and they're gonna find efficient, professional resources relative to the facility, what we deliver to the customers. But the team is what makes it happen. That's true. Fantastic. So you're in Omaha, Nebraska, the Heartland. Everything that happens, it goes east to west and west to east goes through Omaha. Lots of packets running around. So it's a great place for that. But beyond location, how do you help your customers meet those fundamental opportunities? You know, we have a term called meet the metal. So we like to meet metal in Omaha. We have an annual event we've put on, JSA helps us put on too. But really for us, it's the intersection of the data. It's intersection of networks. It's the regeneration point. So what you've found is the hyper scale, the enterprises often come here because it is the metal. So they can put, there's hubs that are in our facility for major networks. They'll go north, south, east or west, but it's really that proximity matters. And then as a result of a week for Omaha as other pluses, it's the Midwest. It's not LA cost or east coast super expensive. So it's, it's effective to be here, good business climate. Then, and in talking about that meeting in the middle connectivity, you also have an onsite internet exchange, Omaha IX. We have to mention that it is such a key differentiator for you guys. A big part of what makes your offerings ideal for a world that depends on extensive connectivity, of course. So let's go ahead and dive into peering. Why is this a game changer for your customers? Well, the IAX is for us, it's a great bold onto the business. So really, if the customers are here and their carriers or customers are here and their enterprise or other folks are here because of the connectivity capability, they're the distance they're gonna find. If their network's here and you're peering your P2P, you're gonna have a shorter distance. Your latency is gonna be better. You're gonna have to be more cost effective. So rather than other options that are out there with a client server in the middle and the whole administrator and everything, it's just a good way to go for people that wanna share data and lots of it. So hyperscalers are dumping the data out into the IAX and then people peer with that data. And it's just a gamut of the ways it can be used from gaming to video content for all kinds of things. People watch on their TVs if they don't realize he's coming to an IAX, but very misunderstood. A lot of people still don't know what an IAX is or how to leverage it. So it's pretty common for us to break down with people and explain to them what it is and how it can be used, let alone peering. Yeah, great point. I need an updated education here. It's been a while. So the word on the street is recession. You know, tech is already, I think in a recession. Every project, every digital transformation is now judged on a pretty stringent cost benefits analysis and even mission critical stuff is still decided fundamentally based on price and even in healthcare, where I'm at the big humans health IT show this week. So when it comes to the question of why should I invest in peering, you know, how do you show that ROI that's strong and, you know, what's the value equation benefit of that investment? So a lot of times we have to, if it's a new client, we're going to partner with them and see how they're doing it today. So if they're, again, going back to a client server or some kind of an IP center where they're trying to connect networks, if you're going to simplify it, if you've got a primary and a backup network, give them to be a financial or say an insurance company and you've got that network, what if you had a third network where you could hear? What if you could put that extra capacity out there and lead out with maybe a partner or somebody you're trying to do exchange with and it's a great way to go that's really, there's no rule, there's no administrative fee, there's free peering, sharing of data. So somebody's going to work transport out between the two. But beyond that, it's a real cost effective way of keeping your A and your B network under control because you're hauling that freight through a shorter connection, goes fast and you're already in our facility, typically it's going to make sense to go with somebody that's in the facility. Yeah, absolutely makes sense. And speaking also of value, you and your team over at 1623 of course have done so much work recently cultivating that robust cloud offering. So the cloud ecosystem, as you guys say, what would you say is the most pressing cloud-centric demand or demands that you've been seeing from your customers? I think it's more. They want to see more direct connect. They, you know, you got Google direct connect where you've got AWS, you're using network as a service providers to be able to get there and to have a dashboard go run and they're great and mobile that we get at 16.3 Farnum but to have even direct, more direct and some of the largest users of AWS are in Omaha, believe it or not. So they're going, they're hauling freight a long ways. They're pressuring us to be able to get those cloud providers to be direct here. It's going to happen eventually, not too far away but you'll have a, it's not an announcement by the way but it's, but you're going to find that that is going to be driven by people wanting more. They really want to connect to cloud. They're moving away from their enterprises. Everybody is, it doesn't matter what country you're in or what data centers. It's what people are doing. They're running mobile cloud products and they want, they want some more speed. Yeah, it's amazing. The Hymn show here this week in Chicago pretty much the three largest booths presence at the show were the three big hyperscalers Amazon, AWS, Google and Microsoft. So they're kind of eating healthcare literally and everything is moving to the cloud. And you actually boast some of the lowest possible latency to Google cloud as you stand at the edge of one of its regional interconnect coals. So cloud looks pretty strategic. I think that's the direction we're all headed, right? So what does that give you as a differentiator? Yeah, microseconds away. It's, it's multiple sites for hyperscalers in the Oman metro surrounding us. And it's not just search engine and social media and other things. There's a lot in the Midwest, a lot in Omaha and they take us to the next level. They push our infrastructure to the next level. They make us better greener, all kinds of things. So it's just a good relationship that is the scale for a city this out of Omaha. Not so much anymore. It's been years, people get that there's a lot here but people are still surprised. It's like what Ashburn would have been the first time somebody saw it. People are very surprised how much it was really going on in two other ways. Right up with the way of data. And you know what? I would be remiss if I didn't mention to you that we are just about to hit Earth Day weekend here. So we're all about going green as you know, here collectively. So of course we're talking data centers. We'd be remiss also to say that it's not one of the most in-demand aspects of today's digital infrastructure and that's sustainability. So I hear of course 1623 has some amazing efficient systems at your data centers that adds to your green factor. Can you tell us a little bit more about that? Sure. There's from our cooling standpoint so I'll start there. So we have a downtown system that we co-op. So the people downtown want our heat so that they can create steam. So we can stay within a certain delta of what the cold is coming in and what we give it back hot. It's gonna use less energy for downtown Omaha for them to take our heat. So from our standpoint, nobody else is using cooling 12 months out of a year in downtown Omaha at our data center. And we are the only one that believe it's on that loop. And we've enhanced the loop, made it more efficient. Also we do free cooling. It's pretty darn cold in Omaha. About 7,000 hours a year that we can free cool. But we find that we can run a lot of the year on free cool. So we get a lot of hours that makes our Pee Wee, numbers really good, comes down. It does get hot here, but from the overall average, when you look at number of hours, 7,000 hours is a lot. So it's a good story to tell. Amazing. Yeah, I was just reading about that on your website. Staying in the green, what hyperscalers moves, tell us about Nebraska's energy offering. So is that the big picture for your sustainability mission? Yeah, there's a current free energy rating that people look at it, hyperscalers again, look at it, push people. You look at the zone one, for US zone central one, for Googles, for example, call them out. They have the emoji, if you will, at the green logo on there that shows that that's a green or CO2 low region compared to others that you compare. So as you're selecting, if that's important to you, the unspeaking cost, that's a differentiator that we find. So we have that. And there's the carbon aware compute that the hyperscalers again, they just push us relative to how we unpack things. So what we do with our waste, what we do, how we operate, it's a different mindset. So as they bring in 16 pallets or whatever, what we would do with that is you pay attention to it. So it's not like it just ends up in the same place. So it's a contractual. They're looking to make sure that you're being a good steward to the environment. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And still staying on top of campus sustainability and contracts, I've been hearing a little bit about evolving requirements. So I'm not sure what you're seeing on your end, but are there any changes in the discussion you might be having with your customers about what they expect for data center providers, what their must haves are, and how are you pivoting? You know, I remember when it was a new term to talk about PUE, and now it's an old term, right? But I've been around for a little bit, but it's the way you measure it and the level you wanna measure. So we in this industry, a lot of times you're a retail client or you're a hyperscale. I would say it bleeds through probably both sides now where people wanna know how you're measuring, what you're measuring. They want more detail. They're asking to see your utility providers bill. They wanna see the level of detail that people just didn't ask for three years ago. So they, where you're meeting, how you're metering has really expanded as well where you've gotta be able to have the data to back it up. And so then beyond that, there's a goal. So if you're here, okay, so where are you gonna be? You know, so gee, we just did a remodel. We thought we were pretty efficient. But the good news is, as you load up a data center, it does get more efficient. So being that we're brand new, we've got some room, some capacity, so we'll get more efficient. Wow, wow. So you've got facility upgrades, you've got big name customers, new partnerships. You have a lot going on. What's next? I mean, it's tough to imagine where you go from here. A lot. There's a big net. So as we throw, we're gonna, we're getting ready to announce the channel program was announced this week. So we've got a new channel program, what we're looking for here. I will be the channel partners. I would be lost if it wasn't for JSA guiding me and helping me through that process. It's new for me personally, professionally. The IX is gonna get a new upgrade here shortly. We haven't really been announced, but the clients used a lot of 10 gig ports and then it was 40, then it's 100. Now there's hundreds and 400. So it's capacity. We're gonna keep putting money into the IX, make sure it grows and make sure that people can get their pairing done here at 16.3 at the Omaha IX. There's just a lot of growth. I think it's really gone crazy relative to a lot of people wanna be in that. So that's a good thing. Direct connection. I've talked about it before. There's our talks. So people are going to direct connect to Omaha, it's gonna happen through other big names. So I mean, I could go on and on, but I'm super proud of the facility. I'm born and raised Omaha guys. I knew of the facility for a long time through my IT career before I got here. The team is awesome. The ownership's awesome. It's a great place. Really, really happy with it. Customers that come here that do upgrades. So Hyperscale has just did an upgrade. They're like, man, we love working in this place. So that's what we like. We like to hear. We like people to say that they like Omaha. They like the atmosphere. They like to do things in our facility. It's neat. Yeah, I can testify. Great people, great facility. And great vision too. You guys really always have a plan and your cutting edge and you keep going. It just makes it so much fun. All right, so let's get to the rapid fire section. I love this part. This is where, if you remember, Todd, you just throw random questions at you and you tell us the first thing that pops into your mind. Here we go. Favorite food that would surprise people? Meatloaf is not it. It'd actually be Hamloaf. Hamloaf. Probably my mom made it when I was a kid. My wife, the family would begrudgingly eat it from time to time. Hamloaf would be my birthday dinner. Oh, I love that. Sounds very Nebraska. Although I just, I read that chicken fried steak is like the local Nebraska dish. Is that? It's interesting how you go by region as you go south when you're thinking of chicken fried steak or even a pork tenderloin is another one that'll change by region. So yeah, but no, for me, it'd be the Hamloaf. Oh, Hamloaf. I'm gonna Google that recipe. Jamie's gonna make it for us. Well, you don't want really anything that I make. It's better cold off than husband. It makes a great sandwich. Oh, it's better cold the next day. Yeah, I'm hungry. Okay, so how do people describe you? What's one word you give? I'm sort of geeky. I'm an introvert, but I could be an extrovert. I love to get my hands into things. I've probably scattered. I'm lucky that I have anchors working around me to pull me back in. I know what I mean. They can interpret where I'm trying to go, but I sincerely, I'm an honest person that works hard. Everybody knows me would tell you. I'm trying to do the right thing all the time. Yeah, my word for you would be heartfelt. Like what you say is what you do and it's from the heart. Thank you. All right, so Apple or Android? I'm sorry? Apple or Android? Apple or Android? Well, I've teased people a lot. I've been an Apple person at a Mac. When I first drew data centers, I was using the old Mac Plus or the FCs or the different boxes and MacDraw and all those kind of great software packages, but I've been a Mac person forever and I get frustrated when my windows don't work and I have to reboot before I do something. And it takes forever to reboot. So I mean, you know. I'm pretty worked. And, you know, if you look at your home screen on your phone, what's the most used app? Angry Birds, is it? Or something, you know, a brush? I can't imagine Angry Birds. You'd be surprised. For me, I like to look at the weather a lot. So we are in the Midwest. So we've talked about free cooling. So I want to see when it's gonna be below 54 degrees. It makes a huge difference. So it probably depends on the time of year, but I look at the weather a lot just because, and it's different apps trying to, because nobody can ever get it really right. So I'm looking at barometric pressure is due points, all kinds of stuff. We're in a nine story building, but it really is a, then it's to watch it transition and watch how the facility is all automated. It really, we're just watching the mousetrap. But it's, I look at the weather apps a lot. You're rooting for cold weather. That's unusual. I love it. I know. Yeah, I can make a, it's just amazingly how much more efficient it is when we can free cool. It's incredible. I totally get you. I love it. Okay, and the last fast question that we will torture you with would be favorite holiday to celebrate. You know, I like little kids. And for me, it's all about Halloween. We have traditions, the wife and I hanging out together and make sure I try to make sure I'm home, not traveling during those time frames. We usually make chili, have little kids over. We see grandkids who we'll talk to and get pictures we exchanged. But we have a Yorkshire Terrier that'll get a little costume every year that she gets put in, whether they like it or not. But, you know, Halloween is like no pressure, no big gifts, pretty easy for me. I don't think about too deeply about the, is it evil or whatever? It's just kids in candy and costumes. And, you know, I grew up that way. That's right. That's right. And honestly, my daughter, she's two and a half and she's obsessed with Halloween. Every other holiday comes and goes. She's still on Halloween. My husband and I are like, we are raising Wednesday, Adams, but she's, yeah, she's, she loves it. We get to meet neighbors and neighbors have young kids. And so there's times it's about, might be the only time of year we see them. They come up their wagon and, you know, you get to go out and say, hi. You know, it's kind of fun. They don't come with serious candy. I mean, they have a wagon, not just a bucket to fill. Give my daughter some ideas. Yes, it's like the billion, multi-billion dollar holiday now. It's amazing. So thanks for joining us, Todd. Really great to see the update. And I always learned so much about what's happening out in the heartland. You know, it shows us our industry isn't just about, you know, DCE and New York and LA. There's just so much happening in the Midwest. And, you know, what a great country we have all these diverse regions and technologies. So, so good stuff. And I have to ask, have you seen Warren around town lately? He's my all-time hero. It has been a year since I've crossed paths, probably with him. I mean, the annual events changed from what it used to be. And my wife would volunteer and it'd have like the 5K and different things. And you'd get like a pair of tennis shoes out of the deal that maybe have Warren and Charlie on the back, special edition Brooks, but she's got it. But, you know, usually a garage steakhouse, I would be at lunch and people want to go there because that's where it is. I know it's not uncommon to see him walk in. So it's been about a year since I've seen him on the streets, but he's a real guy that's out and about. The force of nature, what a guy. And yet another reason to get yourself to Omaha and see 1623. He's on Farnham, we're on Farnham, he's just up the street. Right. And we should also say we are announcing today that we are writing volume two of greener data. And we can say that 1623 Farnham will be part of the next book. So. Super exciting. Super exciting. All right, guys, if you enjoyed today's podcast as much as we did, go ahead and check out jsa.net slash podcast for upcoming episodes. And of course, make sure you go and check out 1623 Farnham. Yeah, follow us on Twitter, at jscotto, whatever the spell and follow the hashtags like sustainability, hashtag data center, hashtag birthday for all the good stuff that is happening there. Yeah, and as always, stay green guys, stay safe and happy networking.